“A Bridge to Yesterday’s World – Remembering the Jewish Residents in Today’s Częstochowa”
Source: Alon Goldman
On 31st March 2026, the Juliusz Słowacki High School auditorium was the venue for the conclusion of the competitions of the fifth year of the “Bridge to Yesterday’s World – Remembering the Jewish Residents in Today’s Częstochowa” educational project.
The project, was born five years ago from a conversation Alon Goldman had with Małgorzata Kaim, the late principal of the Słowacki High School in Częstochowa, in which the discussed ways in which it would be possible to allow local youth to understand the multicultural history of the city, to restore its memory and to make knowledge about the Jewish community, which existed in Częstochowa before World War 2, accessible to youth, as well as to strengthen and encourage youth in the city to live in a spirit of acceptance and dialogue with the local cultural heritage.
Together with her team of teachers, Małgorzata Kaim put the idea into practice and, in co-operation with Rafał Piorowski, head of the Częstochowa Municipal Education Department, launched the educational project as a competition amongst local high schools and elementary schools in several areas – poetry, design and multimedia.
This year, following the tragic passing of our friend Małgorzata Kaim, the late principal of the Słowacki High School, a few individuals took on the task of continuing the project. These included Mr. Tomasz Szczygłowski (the new principal) and teachers Monika Wąsińska, Ewa Izydorczyk, Elżbieta Szajbel, Agnieszka Łuczak -Wielgórka and Dorota Chamoń.
This year’s competition attracted about sixty elementary schools and high schools!
- “A Life and a Street Away” – a poetry and prose reading competition from the works of the late Irit Amiel, a Jewish writer born in Częstochowa.
- “A Lost World, a Saved World” – in which teams of 2- 4 participants from each school were asked to create a prototype of a board game with QR codes,exploring the history of places and people related to the Jewish community in Częstochowa.
- Izabela Sobańska-Klekowska (Chair of the TSKŻ Częstochowa branch),
- Ilona Kowalska (co-author of the script “Map of Childhood”, a cinematic poetry salon dedicated to Irit Amiel, representing the Władysław Bieganski Public Library in Częstochowa)
- Ewa Olesz (literary secretary of the Adam Mickiewicz Theatre in Częstochowa).
- Ewelina Rygał – Deputy Principal of Słowacki High School (pic left),
- Izabela Sobańska-Klekowska – Chair of TSKŻ Częstochowa branch (pic centre) and
- Krzysztof Straus – Board member of the Memorial and Renewal Foundation (pic right).
The ceremony included artistic performances by students of the Juliusz Słowacki High School in Częstochowa, who performed musical pieces, as well as poetry readings by the competition winners. The event program highlighted the multicultural heritage of Częstochowa.
Certificates and prizes were awarded to elementary and high school students – winners of the reading competition “Poetry and Prose by Irit Amiel” and the multimedia competition “A Lost World, a Saved World“.
The event was organised by Agnieszka Luczek-Wilgorka, Dorota Częmonska, Monika Wasinska, Ewa Izydorczyk and Elżbieta Szybel.
The music was provided by Dorota Merlinska and Katarzyna Błaszczyk.
Many thanks to the organisers of the project, which we consider to be of great importance,
and which is part of the process of preserving the city’s Jewish heritage.